The importance of bush stories

Dean Bryant grew up on a Strathmerton dairy farm near Shepparton before gaining success as a theatre director.

And despite loving life on the farm, his parents pushed him to forge a new life in the city.

Two of his internationally successful plays, Once We Lived Here and Prodigal, were both inspired by his life on the land.

"If you don't tell stories about people, they don't exist in other people's eyes, and it's only through stories [that] … we understand what someone's life is like, so it was really important for me to explore that."

But despite his success, he said there was still a lack of home-grown regional stories coming out of Australia.

"We need regional stories because these people are the heroes of their own lives and they need to have that shared with the bigger population."

Musical theatre veteran Simon Gleeson was raised in a tiny town called The Rock near Wagga Wagga in New South Wales before embarking on a career on the West End.

He spent most of 2017 in London playing leading man Jean Valjean in the West End's longest running musical, Les Miserables. It has run continuously since October 1985.

Phillip Quast, born in Tamworth, NSW, is best known for his role as Javert in the 10th-anniversary concert staging of Les Miserables at the Royal Albert Hall, and his for his role in The Secret Garden, in the West End.

He is the only actor to win three Oliver awards, a coveted theatre award in London that recognises excellence in professional theatre.